Michelangelo Pistoletto. Love Difference

Fondazione San Domenico Onlus, with the patronage of the Ministry of Culture, the Apulia Region and the City of Fasano, presents the restoration of the former IMARFA and its future transformation into a centre for contemporary arts and culture with a light installation by Michelangelo Pistoletto.

Fondazione San Domenico Onlus, headquartered at Masseria San Domenico in Fasano, has been collaborating for twenty years with major public and private institutions to promote the research and study of rock settlements in Puglia and the safeguarding of the surrounding environment through restoration interventions, editorial projects, conferences, and seminars. Based on the premise that art and culture are a heritage to be protected but also an essential resource to be cultivated for the growth of a land, the Foundation is expanding its scope of interest by initiating the restoration of the former marble factory IMARFA, which will now become, after a restoration based on a design by Mimmo Palladino, a centre dedicated to contemporary art.

The industrial complex, located along the coastal road between Torre Canne and Savelletri, was previously used for the processing of marble and granite. The building and urban redevelopment project for this currently inaccessible structure includes the requalification of the entire area that hosts it and a significant renovation of the existing buildings, which will be converted into a centre with 1,250 square meters of exhibition space and a vast outdoor area that will also be used for live events such as concerts and theatre performances.
"This restoration project", said the President of the Fondazione San Domenico, Marisa Melpignano, "pursues the intentions of Sergio Melpignano, who years ago, with incredible foresight, saw the extraordinary potential of this area."

Marking the beginning of the enhancement of this region through art is a work by Michelangelo Pistoletto – significantly presented on the occasion of the G7 for its political and social significance – which will remain on display until October 20th, 2024.

Michelangelo Pistoletto, a leading figure of the "Arte Povera" movement and internationally recognised as one of the most important Italian figures in the contemporary art scene, has been pursuing research since the 1950s, combining aesthetic practice with ethical commitment, and putting artistic experience in active relation with the outside world, with the aim of inspiring and producing a responsible transformation of society.... read the rest of the article»

The initiative stems from a multi-voiced dialogue involving Vincenzo de Bellis and Bruna Roccasalva – who supported Marisa Melpignano in launching the IMARFA restoration project – Michelangelo Pistoletto, and Lorenzo Fiaschi of Galleria Continua, with the joint aim of presenting, through art, a message of balance, harmony, and peace among communities, themes that have been the focus of the most recent summit of the greatest leaders of the world.

From these assumptions came the idea of presenting "Love Difference", a monumental and colourful light installation composed of 20 neon signs, in which the phrase "love differences" is translated into the most widely spoken languages in the world. This work, conceived for the first time in 2005 as part of Luci d'Artista in Turin, was born within the broader and more articulated project of 2002 "Love Difference – Movimento Artistico per una Politica InterMediterranea," created to promote respect and mutual understanding between different cultures through the universality of art. More than twenty years after its founding, its message is more relevant today than ever before:

"On the one hand, the difference between ethnicities, religions, and cultures is, today, the cause of terrible conflicts; on the other, there is a dramatic situation produced by the supremacy of powers that produce uniformity and levelling of differences [...] Uniformity and difference are the two antagonistic terms that represent the maximum conflictual tension in the current planetary reality. A policy that leads to 'loving differences' is vital for the development of new perspectives in the entire social framework." (M. Pistoletto, Manifesto Love Difference, 2002, in "Journal 7", Cittadellarte, Biella 2002, p. 47).

Installed as a large, illuminated sign encountered on the roadside, "Love Difference" overlooks the Mediterranean Sea for the very first time, a crossroads of cultures and an element that connects different lands and communities, coinciding – as mentioned earlier – with the meeting of the world's great leaders in the same location. This unique spatial and temporal context amplifies the message of peace and communion among people, reminding us that dialogue, tolerance, and acceptance of others are the principles on which to base our society.

To reinforce the meaning of this gesture, Michelangelo Pistoletto conceived a mirrored artwork produced on the occasion of this project and donated to each member of the G7. Inspired by the famous Creation of Adam from the Sistine Chapel, "conTatto" depicts a hand that, by reflecting itself, creates another virtual hand, reminding us of the need to find a balance between the natural and artificial worlds. The artwork includes the book The Formula of Creation, in which Pistoletto, while retracing the evolution of his artistic practice and theoretical reflection, also conveys its religious, political, and scientific significance. He highlights how art, which the artist defines as "demopractic," does not subvert but generates, harmonises, and interconnects every existing form of governance.

Michelangelo Pistoletto
Love Difference
Former IMARFA
Strada Provinciale 90
Litoranea Torre Canne – Savelletri, Fasano

Produced by:
Fondazione San Domenico Onlus, Fasano
Project Management:
Galleria Continua, San Gimignano Under the patronage of:  Ministry of Culture Apulia Region  City of Fasano

Title: Michelangelo Pistoletto. Love Difference

Opening: June 19, 2024

Ending: October 20, 2024

Organization: Galleria Continua, San Gimignano

Place: Fasano, Ex IMARFA

Address: Strada Provinciale 90 Litoranea Torre Canne – Savelletri, Fasano (BR)